Gimbals are used as rotatable supports for cameras and other sensing payloads in a variety of applications, particularly in vehicle-mounted applications such as helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), land vehicles such as trucks or armored vehicles, and spacecraft.
The basic configuration of a conventional prior art gimbal is one which dictates a necessarily costly and heavy frame structure in order to provide adequate stability. Weight, and very often cost, prevent these gimbals from being used on many platforms such as small helicopters and other lightweight air vehicles. The geometries of the azimuth and elevation axes require a very strong and stiff “yoke” structure. This becomes the large and heavy bulk of the gimbal. Metals, usually steel and aluminum, must be incorporated into the design in order for the gimbal to achieve the stability that an application requires. The manufacturing methods that are necessarily used are expensive and time consuming. This is a cost driver and accounts for much of the overall weight.
The elevation axis is anchored by this yoke and resides within the azimuth structure. Most payloads are carried directly by the elevation axis structure. Due to this arrangement, the available payload space tends to be very small in relation to the extents of the azimuth structure. In rare instances a third, roll axis is included. This resides within the elevation structure, further reducing the payload volume. The need for this configuration to be stable and stiff also dictates costly and heavy materials.
For these reasons, this standard design is expensive and prevents these gimbals from offering low weight with enough payload space for many applications.